North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Set to Tangle with Duke in ACC Quarterfinals
3/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
When: Friday, March 9, 2001
Where: Georgia Dome in Atlanta
Time: 7:00 p.m.
<> Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network (listen in the Ga. Dome on 87.7 fm)
***The Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network will broadcast every game of the
tourney. Pregame shows begin 30 minutes prior to tip off.
TV: ACC Network, ESPN
If NC State's basketball season is going to continue beyond this weekend, it will take one of the most improbable runs in ACC Tournament history. But the mountain the Pack must climb is much higher than the roof of the Georgia Dome itself. It all starts with a quarterfinal match up with Coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils, who are coming off a record 5th consecutive ACC regular season title. Although the Devils tied North Carolina for first place in the final conference standings, the Tar Heels gained the tournament's No. 1 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker.
For the Wolfpack (13-15), which finished all alone in seventh place after posting a 5-11 conference mark, its down to this: win the tournament or go home. The winner of the ACC Tournament gains an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament, an event in which the Pack hasn't competed since 1991.
"We always approach the tournament with a sense of excitement and rebirth," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "It's a tournament laced with great tradition and pageantry. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to compete and participate in it. We're just going in there to play hard like we always do."
But just getting beyond the first round will be a challenge for NC State. As former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins used to say, "Duke is Duke." And in its impressive season ending 95-81 romp over North Carolina on Sunday, Duke was Duke-even though it was missing starting center Carlos Boozer, who is out with a broken foot.
Duke's "smaller" line up consisting of Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, Nate James, Mike Dunleavy and Shane Battier is virtually impossible to match up against. All five players can shoot the three with deadly accuracy, all five can dribble and all five can pass. Krzyzewski can also call on Casey Sanders and Matt Christensen if he needs to add more size in the middle.
"Their big line up also causes some problems; the last time we played, we held them to 101 points," Sendek said with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "They're a great offensive team. They have a lot of firepower and they exploit the three-point line as well as anybody in recent college basketball history. They're a terrific team and there are no easy recipes for defending them."
The Wolfpack got ample proof of Duke's three-point marksmanship in a 101-75 loss to the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 11. On that day, Duke bombed in 13-of-29 from the arc. Game one in Raleigh was much more competitive as the Blue Devils went on to post an 84-76 win after fighting off a late NC State comeback. The Pack made it close thanks to 24 offensive rebounds that were turned into 38-second chance points.
"Certainly NC State's ability to rebound the ball is a primary concern for us," Krzyzewski said. "How we do in that category will determine the outcome of the game. When we play a big team like that, if we can play even on the boards, I think we have a good shot at winning."
This will mark the fourth time the ACC Tournament has been staged in Atlanta, but the first instance in which it has been held inside a massive indoor football stadium like the Georgia Dome. The league office has already announced that it has set a new national conference record by selling more than 40,000 tickets for each of the five sessions.
"Certainly many more people are afforded an opportunity to see the games, which is a good thing," Sendek said about playing in the dome. "On the other hand, I think there's a lot to be said for the more intimate, typical arena for a college basketball game. I think both types of venues have their own unique positives."
The Wolfpack is the third winningest team in tournament history (51-37) and ranks third in tourney titles with 10, including the first three. NC State's last conference championship was won in 1987. Under Sendek, the Wolfpack has posted a 6-4 mark in tournament games.
Duke will be seeking to become the first team in 32 years to win three straight ACC Tournament titles. The Blue Devils have captured a total of 11 tournament titles overall.
48th Annual ACC Tournament, Atlanta Georgia
Thursday, March 8 #8 Florida State vs. #9 Clemson 7:00 p.m.Friday, March 9 #1 North Carolina vs. 8/9 winner Noon #4 Virginia vs. #5 Georgia Tech 2:30 p.m. #2 Duke vs. #7 NC State 7:00 p.m. #3 Maryland vs. #6 Wake Forest 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 10 1/8-9 winner vs. 4/5 winner 1:30 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner 4:00
Sunday, March 11 Championship Game 1:00
